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DVD Collection

The Asian Studies Center has an extensive collection of fiction and non‑fiction films available to borrow. Visit the center or contact us for more information.

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Better Luck Tomorrow Country/Region of Focus: Asian American
Length: 099min
Type of Film: Feature
Language: English

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Description: An accomplished high school student, Ben (Parry Shen) seems to excel at almost everything except winning over his dream girl, Stephanie (Karin Anna Cheung). When he begins an unlikely friendship with trouble-seeking tough guy Daric (Roger Fan), Ben becomes involved in petty crime that gets increasingly dangerous, with his various illegal ventures extending to include Stephanie and her wealthy beau, Steve (John Cho). Can these restless teens curb their criminal activities before it's too late?

Piccadilly Country/Region of Focus: Asian American
Length: 109min
Type of Film: Feature
Language: English

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Description: Valentine Wilmot (Jameson Thomas) owns a nightclub featuring dancers Mabel (Gilda Gray) and Vic (Cyril Ritchard). After a confrontation with Wilmot, Vic quits performing at the club. When the joint starts losing business, a desperate Wilmot hires former dishwasher Shosho (Anna May Wong) as a dancer. She is an instant hit and forms a rapport with Wilmot, which makes both Mabel and Shosho's friend (King Ho Chang) jealous, leading to a mysterious murder.

Saving Face Country/Region of Focus: Asian American
Length: 097min
Type of Film: Feature
Language: English

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Description: Wil (Michelle Krusiec) is a lesbian, but she not dare tell her widowed mother, Hwei-lan (Joan Chen), or her very traditional grandparents. She's shocked, however, to find out she's not the only one in her family with romantic secrets when she learns that her 48-year-old mother is pregnant. Unwilling to reveal who the father is, Hwei-lan is kicked out of her parents' home and must move in with Wil, which puts a strain on Wil's budding relationship with openly gay Vivian (Lynn Chen).

I'm the One That I Want Country/Region of Focus: Asian American
Length: 096min
Type of Film: Documentary
Language: English

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Description: Based on her experiences as the first Asian-American to star in her own sitcom, "All-American Girl," "I'm the One that I Want" chronicles Margaret Cho's meteoric rise and near fatal demise during and after the groundbreaking series and her subsequent recovery. Now 31, Margaret has emerged clean, sober; more confident and funnier than ever. Her experiences in Hollywood, her relationship with her mother and her struggles with her own personal demons became the raw material for this show.

Sin City Country/Region of Focus: Asian American
Length: 124min
Type of Film: Feature
Language: English

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Description: In this quartet of neo-noir tales, a mysterious salesman (Josh Hartnett) narrates a tragic story of co-dependency, while a musclebound vigilante (Mickey Rourke) tears his way through the criminal underworld in search of his lost love (Jaime King). In another part of the city, a grizzled cop (Bruce Willis) foils the ambitions of a child-killer (Nick Stahl), and an ex-prostitute (Brittany Murphy) evades her ex-pimp (Benicio Del Toro) with the help of her new boyfriend, Dwight (Clive Owen).

The Grace Lee Project Country/Region of Focus: Asian American
Length: 068min
Type of Film: Documentary
Language: English

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Description: When filmmaker Grace Lee discovered that her name is very common among Asian-Americans, she also found out that it carries with it a stereotype of the "good" Asian; a quiet, well-behaved hard worker. To see if this stereotype holds any water, the director travels the country interviewing other women who share her name. She discovers a wide range of women, and while some fit the image of the name, others, like a goth artist and community activist, certainly do not.

Broken Blossoms Country/Region of Focus: Asian American
Length: 075min
Type of Film: Feature
Language: English

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Description: When Chinese immigrant Cheng Huan (Richard Barthelmess) moves to London to spread Buddhism, he is unprepared for the deplorable conditions and intolerance of its inner city. But Huan succumbs to his environment; his missionary dream turns into indifference and opium addiction, until he finds battered Lucy Burrows (Lillian Gish) at his doorstep. He devotes himself to her recovery, and the two kindred souls become close, but tragedy awaits in the form of Burrows' abusive father (Donald Crisp).

Finishing the Game Country/Region of Focus: Asian American
Length: 084min
Type of Film: Feature
Language: English

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Description: In 1973 legendary martial artist Bruce Lee dies while filming "Game of Death." Rather than scrap the movie, producers decide to hire a stand-in for Lee. Among the actors in line are a Bruce Lee imitator (Roger Fan), a white man (McCaleb Burnett) and a former TV star (Dustin Nguyen) who now earns a living as door-to-door salesman.

American Pastime Country/Region of Focus: Asian American
Length:
Type of Film: Feature
Language: English and French

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Description: American Pastime views a dark slice of American history--the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II--affectingly through the prism of the all-American game of baseball.

Double Happiness Country/Region of Focus: Asian American
Length: 087min
Type of Film: Feature
Language: English

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Description: Jade Li (Sandra Oh) is an independent 22-year-old Chinese-Canadian struggling to live the life she wants while not disappointing her traditional Chinese parents. In an effort to encourage their daughter to start a family, Jade's parents set her up on a series of dates with nice, traditional Chinese boys, but Jade is not interested. When she meets a Caucasian grad student named Mark (Callum Rennie), she has to decide how much her own happiness is worth.

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